Your going to read on the internet mixed opinions about every single gun manufacturer out there.

Kimber, Colt, Springfield, and now Remington are all going to offer you good guns. The hardest part is deciding which model to go with.

Good luck with your search and have fun (one of my favorite things to do is look for a new gun )

__________________"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" Ben Franklin
Marbury v. Madison, 5 US 137,(1803) "The Constitution of these United States is the supreme law of the land. Any law that is repugnant to the Constitution is null and void of law."

The Remington is a fairly new offering. I read a review on one and they liked it fine. I believe they are less expensive than the Kimber. Whenever I buy a pistol, I always consider the potential resale value. It is a known fact that Kimbers hold their resale value well. Remington does not have an established resale value. It might be good, it might be bad.

The first review i read on the remington mentioned that in 200 rounds of testing, several jams and stovepipe jams occured. Even after the break in period odd jams were still common. I would say you will have to definetely tweek the R1.

That being said, I have had the more expensive kimbers have the exact same problems even after break in as well. And I had to fix it myself usually.

Sadly a tactical entry had a misaligned barrel lockup, and the ambi safety broke after 2000 rounds. Even in a vice the gun shot to the left. I looked at the lugs and they were not fitted properly, and the barrel hood was loose.

So i am replacing a bunch of stuff on a 1200 dollar gun.

With that budget I would suggest finding a used kimber, or a new remington, but plan on spending money and fitting a good extractor on either gun. I found for the most part my issues were solved with a better/fitted extractor.

I have 3 1911's a SS Colt series 80 , a Kimber Grand Raptor II and a Rem R1 and the Rem holds its own against the other 2 quite well considering its price. I only have about 300rnds thru it so far but, its been perfect in functioning so far.
1st time out with it a buddy had some old 45acp swc target reloads and it ate them up with out even a hickup. I'm courious to see if Remington will expand its 1911 line in 2011

The Kimber has been around for so many years now, it is a proven commodity. Quality in fit, finish, and function are the hallmark of Kimbers in general. Several law enforcement agencies use them for those reasons. Also the frames and slides of the Kimbers are forged versus cast for the Remington.

I used to have 4 Colts and 4 Springfield Armorys. Compared to those guns, the Kimber Custom II I just bought is way above in overall quality. Hence my recommendation

I'm not a fan of GI model 1911's for a few personal preference reasons, and these are subjective, so I understand if no one agrees with me:

Hammer - snags all kinds of stuff when worn in the field
Trigger - not match (I like the smoother pull on the Custom II)
Barrel - not match (eh...not that big of a deal if not competing)
Sights - well, gotta get night sights anyway

The things I mentioned can be upgraded later, but the Rem R1 isn't that much cheaper than the Kimber Custom II. Any upgrades later to make it equal to the Custom II will cost you much more in the long run.

Just my .02, and I think the R1 is a good starter 1911 (GI, duh?), but for a little more money, the Custom II is much more gun.

__________________Kimber Custom II
Kimber Pro Crimson Carry II
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” -George Orwell

As is the custom with for American Rifleman, I accuracy tested the R1 by shooting five consecutive, five-shot groups at 25 yards. I did this with three different loads, each of which I have used many times with other .45 pistols and have proven exceptionally accurate. Before any accuracy work, I did run about 10 magazines of mixed ammunition through the gun to break it in. Then it was on to the Ransom Rest, in this case C-clamped to a solid concrete bench. In order, I shot Federal 230-grain Gold Medal ball, Black Hills 230-grain JHP and Remington 230-grain Bonded Golden Saber JHP.
The evaluation produced 15 five-shot groups ranging in size from a smallest of 1.24 inches to a largest of 2.99 inches. The three test loads averaged 2.06 inches, 2.16 inches and 1.85 inches, respectively, with an overall group average of 2.02 inches. These results are tabulated above and pretty well establish that the Remington R1 is pretty much a 2-inch shooter at 25 yards.

I'm sorry, but I have to laugh at this. By the comment made above, the R1 outshoots every gun in that ill-fated trial. That's a mighty big list of heavy hitters that this new GI upsets. I question the R1 article and it's relevance to the FBI trial. Apples to apples? Me thinks not.

__________________Kimber Custom II
Kimber Pro Crimson Carry II
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” -George Orwell

I'm sorry, but I have to laugh at this. By the comment made above, the R1 outshoots every gun in that ill-fated trial. That's a mighty big list of heavy hitters that this new GI upsets. I question the R1 article and it's relevance to the FBI trial. Apples to apples? Me thinks not.

The R1's I have seen and held were not overly impressive in fit or finish, add to that the cast frame, and absolutely horrendous rollmark, and it really does not appeal to me at all. My vote is for the Custom II.

__________________
I don't own any guns

1911-Because when you run out of ammo, steel leaves a more lasting impression on a bad guy's forehead than plastic!!!

I own a Custom II... and love it. But that doesn't mean we're both looking for the same things. Travel around different gun shops, and physically feel both guns, and see which one feels more natural to grip. Best of luck

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